Letter to the Editor: Compassion fulfills happiness

I was saddened to read the recent letter entitled, "Females Turn to be in Charge?"(Sun Advocate, July 20). In this world where we have to look so little to find so much tragedy, I'm wondering why we can't all find a bit more compassion. Regardless if you're a man or a woman, at the end of the day does it really make any of us feel good to have had all the control? Maybe superficially it does feel good, but the feeling is short-lived and typically undeserved.

Like the author of the letter, I have a big problem with men who treat women badly or inferiorly. However, that is where our similarities end. Using sarcasm to put down the opposite sex does nothing to solve equality issues. Would treating someone in a submissive manner, just because you could, (females in charge) make you a better person? No, of course it wouldn't. But in this world that has become so "me" centered we are losing all perspective about the right thing to do and instead just doing what makes "me" happy and satisfied.

Everyday we are given choices to make. Some make us happy. Some don't. Some are trivial. Some are life altering. I suppose that's why I find it so difficult to understand why the author states in one paragraph that children are a privilege and in another says that it's a woman's choice to terminate them through abortion.

Perhaps it's because we're, one again, making choices for "number one". It's not about how much responsibility a guy can ditch if he chooses to leave a pregnant woman. It's about a child's life.

Why doesn't the child have a choice? Everyone else wants one. When did our society start making it's members believe that you can make choices and never have to suffer any consequences from those choices or feel treated unfairly if you do?

My theory, as meager as it may be, is that we live in a world filled with distraction and most of it revolves around how we can make ourselves happy. Many of us have quit trying (or maybe never started) to find a sense of compassion. Giving compassion not only fulfills our need for happiness but also creates happiness and fulfillment for those around us.

I realize that I personally need to work on this. I also know there are many people out there who would say, "Yeah, that's a nice theory, but in this dog-eat-dog world, I'll stick to fighting for me." But, if we never try to make changes we are just pacifying ourselves with excuses and fluff.